Great Somerford Timeline

Flint tools found

Polished flint axehead found

Large palstave and half of another one found

Domesday book shows a well established community with farms, woodland and mills called Sumersford

Great Somerford had seven estates

Possible motte castle raised, earthworks, worked stone, ceramics, charcoal and ash found

Parish known as Somerford Mautravers

First mention of a church in a taxation list of Pope Nicholas IV; consisted of a chancel and a nave

92 poll tax payers (agede over 14) in Great Somerford

The oldest and heaviest church bell was cast

Brook farm built

Queen Elizabeth I granted certain lands in the parish of Somerford Magna called St. Mary lands to the trust of John Herbert and Andrew Palmer

A house called Mount built south of the mound where the castle stood

Rectory house built south of the church

The rector Richard Attwood who had been incumbent in Great Somerford for 27 years was drowned in the river floods trying to get to Little Somerford

Mills farm built : Manor house, Manor farmhouse and West Street farm all built

Quakers including members of the Sealy family lived in Great Somerford

8 non-conformists in the parish

Thomas Browne formally released and confirmed the St. Mary land estate to Isaac Reeks the rector and eight other named practitioners 'to the use of all inhabitants'

Settlement began in Hollow Street

New bridge built with a balastraded parapet

The old maltings built

Population increased from 358 to 556

Approximately six acres south of Dauntsey road called free gardens was given as allotments for paupers : a poor house was built on part of the alotments

Two schools in the village attended by c.20 children

A boarding school for c.26 girls was opened in the parish

Cottage built on St. Mary lands used as a school : 2 1/2 acres from the St. Mary lands declared for general charitable purposes in the parish

Poor house converted into two cottages

The New Inn, later the Masons Arms, was opened

New school room built

40-50 children were taught at the school

Miss Mary and Miss Frances Pyke of Brook Farm gave a complete set of oak pews to the church

Walter Powell becomes MP for Malmesbury

Walter Powell gives the village its reaading room

The Malmesbury railway link is built across the parish and opened, the station called Somerford stood north of the village

Walter Powell goes up in a government air balloon called the Saladin with two passengers, they get into difficulty, his two passengers manage to escape but Walter Powell is carried away

Reading room becomes a chapel : Volunteer Inn opened : small parts of the parish transferred to Little Somerford and Malmesbury

The first Somerford Show

There are 49 aloltment holders : the porch on the church is re-built to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII

Official street lighting first installed

Railway line and station closed

The orchard was given to the church by Col.W.Ll. Palmer to preserve the veiw and to honour his two sons Julian and Peter, who were killed in the war

A day of fun and games to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's coronation : piped water reaches Great Somerford : New Apolistic church opened but was closed by 1971

Sewage works built on the old railway line

A new crump weir was built on the river to help reduce flooding : along Hollowstreet a residential caravan site was opened

The Mason's Arms closed

A plan was made to build a new school on Dauntsey road to serve both Little and Great Somerford, the plans included an extra room for the use of the community

Emptying of the old rectory for sale after nearly 400 years of occupation : H.R.H. Princess Anne married Captian Mark Phillips, a resident of Great Somerford

Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee was marked with a new church bell being installed and a new playground in the village

Population is 668

The original Victorian schools of Great and Little Somerford closed and Walter Powell school was opened

The first production by the Somerford Stagers drama group was Cinderella and performed in the Little Somerford village hall

The village lost its police office

Walter Powell school got their own allotment

Somerfords' Walter Powell School became federated with Seagry Primary School

Great Somerford celebrates 200 years of allotments

Great Somerford's 116th Somerford Show